scholarly journals Vaccinia virus protein K7 is a virulence factor that alters the acute immune response to infection

2013 ◽  
Vol 94 (7) ◽  
pp. 1647-1657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilla T. O. Benfield ◽  
Hongwei Ren ◽  
Stuart J. Lucas ◽  
Basma Bahsoun ◽  
Geoffrey L. Smith

Vaccinia virus (VACV) encodes many proteins that antagonize the innate immune system including a family of intracellular proteins with a B-cell lymphoma (Bcl)-2-like structure. One of these Bcl-2 proteins called K7 binds Toll-like receptor-adaptor proteins and the DEAD-box RNA helicase DDX3 and thereby inhibits the activation of NF-κB and interferon regulatory factor 3. However, the contribution of K7 to virus virulence is not known. Here a VACV lacking the K7R gene (vΔK7) was constructed and compared with control viruses that included a plaque purified wt (vK7), a revertant with the K7R gene reinserted (vK7-rev) and a frame-shifted virus in which the translational initiation codon was mutated to prevent K7 protein expression (vK7-fs). Data presented show that loss of K7 does not affect virus replication in cell culture or in vivo; however, viruses lacking the K7 protein were less virulent than controls in murine intradermal (i.d.) and intranasal (i.n.) infection models and there was an altered acute immune response to infection. In the i.d. model, vΔK7 induced smaller lesions than controls, and after i.n. infection vΔK7 induced a reduced weight loss and signs of illness, and more rapid clearance of virus from infected tissue. Concomitantly, the intrapulmonary innate immune response to infection with vΔK7 showed increased infiltration of NK cells and CD8+ T-cells, enhanced MHC class II expression by macrophages, and enhanced cytolysis of target cells by NK cells and VACV-specific CD8+ T-cells. Thus protein K7 is a virulence factor that affects the acute immune response to infection.

2016 ◽  
Vol 90 (14) ◽  
pp. 6464-6474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Notario ◽  
Elisenda Alari-Pahissa ◽  
Antonio de Molina ◽  
Pilar Lauzurica

ABSTRACTDuring the host response to viral infection, the transmembrane CD69 protein is highly upregulated in all immune cells. We have studied the role of CD69 in the murine immune response to vaccinia virus (VACV) infection, and we report that the absence of CD69 enhances protection against VACV at both short and long times postinfection in immunocompetent and immunodeficient mice. Natural killer (NK) cells were implicated in the increased infection control, since the differences were greatly diminished when NK cells were depleted. This role of NK cells was not based on an altered NK cell reactivity, since CD69 did not affect the NK cell activation threshold in response to major histocompatibility complex class I NK cell targets or protein kinase C activation. Instead, NK cell numbers were increased in the spleen and peritoneum of CD69-deficient infected mice. That was not just secondary to better infection control in CD69-deficient mice, since NK cell numbers in the spleens and the blood of uninfected CD69−/−mice were already augmented. CD69-deficient NK cells from infected mice did not have an altered proliferation capacity. However, a lower spontaneous cell death rate was observed for CD69−/−lymphocytes. Thus, our results suggest that CD69 limits the innate immune response to VACV infection at least in part through cell homeostatic survival.IMPORTANCEWe show that increased natural killer (NK) cell numbers augment the host response and survival after infection with vaccinia virus. This phenotype is found in the absence of CD69 in immunocompetent and immunodeficient hosts. As part of the innate immune system, NK lymphocytes are activated and participate in the defense against infection. Several studies have focused on the contribution of NK cells to protection against infection with vaccinia virus. In this study, it was demonstrated that the augmented early NK cell response in the absence of CD69 is responsible for the increased protection seen during infection with vaccinia virus even at late times of infection. This work indicates that the CD69 molecule may be a target of therapy to augment the response to poxvirus infection.


2016 ◽  
Vol 90 (16) ◽  
pp. 7098-7108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jincun Zhao ◽  
Rahul Vijay ◽  
Jingxian Zhao ◽  
Michael Gale ◽  
Michael S. Diamond ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTWest Nile virus (WNV) is the most important cause of epidemic encephalitis in North America. Innate immune responses, which are critical for control of WNV infection, are initiated by signaling through pathogen recognition receptors, RIG-I and MDA5, and their downstream adaptor molecule, MAVS. Here, we show that a deficiency of MAVS in hematopoietic cells resulted in increased mortality and delayed WNV clearance from the brain. InMavs−/−mice, a dysregulated immune response was detected, characterized by a massive influx of macrophages and virus-specific T cells into the infected brain. These T cells were polyfunctional and lysed peptide-pulsed target cellsin vitro. However, virus-specific T cells in the brains of infectedMavs−/−mice exhibited lower functional avidity than those in wild-type animals, and even virus-specific memory T cells generated by prior immunization could not protectMavs−/−mice from WNV-induced lethal disease. Concomitant with ineffective virus clearance, macrophage numbers were increased in theMavs−/−brain, and both macrophages and microglia exhibited an activated phenotype. Microarray analyses of leukocytes in the infectedMavs−/−brain showed a preferential expression of genes associated with activation and inflammation. Together, these results demonstrate a critical role for MAVS in hematopoietic cells in augmenting the kinetics of WNV clearance and thereby preventing a dysregulated and pathogenic immune response.IMPORTANCEWest Nile virus (WNV) is the most important cause of mosquito-transmitted encephalitis in the United States. The innate immune response is known to be critical for protection in infected mice. Here, we show that expression of MAVS, a key adaptor molecule in the RIG-I-like receptor RNA-sensing pathway, in hematopoietic cells is critical for protection from lethal WNV infection. In the absence of MAVS, there is a massive infiltration of myeloid cells and virus-specific T cells into the brain and overexuberant production of proinflammatory cytokines. These results demonstrate the important role that MAVS expression in hematopoietic cells has in regulating the inflammatory response in the WNV-infected brain.


2015 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georges Abboud ◽  
Vikas Tahiliani ◽  
Pritesh Desai ◽  
Kyle Varkoly ◽  
John Driver ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTIn establishing a respiratory infection, vaccinia virus (VACV) initially replicates in airway epithelial cells before spreading to secondary sites of infection, mainly the draining lymph nodes, spleen, gastrointestinal tract, and reproductive organs. We recently reported that interferon gamma (IFN-γ) produced by CD8 T cells ultimately controls this disseminated infection, but the relative contribution of IFN-γ early in infection is unknown. Investigating the role of innate immune cells, we found that the frequency of natural killer (NK) cells in the lung increased dramatically between days 1 and 4 postinfection with VACV. Lung NK cells displayed an activated cell surface phenotype and were the primary source of IFN-γ prior to the arrival of CD8 T cells. In the presence of an intact CD8 T cell compartment, depletion of NK cells resulted in increased lung viral load at the time of peak disease severity but had no effect on eventual viral clearance, disease symptoms, or survival. In sharp contrast, RAG−/−mice devoid of T cells failed to control VACV and succumbed to infection despite a marked increase in NK cells in the lung. Supporting an innate immune role for NK cell-derived IFN-γ, we found that NK cell-depleted or IFN-γ-depleted RAG−/−mice displayed increased lung VACV titers and dissemination to ovaries and a significantly shorter mean time to death compared to untreated NK cell-competent RAG−/−controls. Together, these findings demonstrate a role for IFN-γ in aspects of both the innate and adaptive immune response to VACV and highlight the importance of NK cells in T cell-independent control of VACV in the respiratory tract.IMPORTANCEHerein, we provide the first systematic evaluation of natural killer (NK) cell function in the lung after infection with vaccinia virus, a member of thePoxviridaefamily. The respiratory tract is an important mucosal site for entry of many human pathogens, including poxviruses, but precisely how our immune system defends the lung against these invaders remains unclear. Natural killer cells are a type of cytotoxic lymphocyte and part of our innate immune system. In recent years, NK cells have received increasing levels of attention following the discovery that different tissues contain specific subsets of NK cells with distinctive phenotypes and function. They are abundant in the lung, but their role in defense against respiratory viruses is poorly understood. What this study demonstrates is that NK cells are recruited, activated, and contribute to protection of the lung during a severe respiratory infection with vaccinia virus.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 263
Author(s):  
Philip Rosenstock ◽  
Thomas Kaufmann

Sialic acids are sugars with a nine-carbon backbone, present on the surface of all cells in humans, including immune cells and their target cells, with various functions. Natural Killer (NK) cells are cells of the innate immune system, capable of killing virus-infected and tumor cells. Sialic acids can influence the interaction of NK cells with potential targets in several ways. Different NK cell receptors can bind sialic acids, leading to NK cell inhibition or activation. Moreover, NK cells have sialic acids on their surface, which can regulate receptor abundance and activity. This review is focused on how sialic acids on NK cells and their target cells are involved in NK cell function.


2019 ◽  
Vol 317 (5) ◽  
pp. G557-G568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rose A. Willemze ◽  
David J. Brinkman ◽  
Olaf Welting ◽  
Patricia H. P. van Hamersveld ◽  
Caroline Verseijden ◽  
...  

Clinical trials suggest that vagus nerve stimulation presents an alternative approach to classical immune suppression in Crohn's disease. T cells capable of producing acetylcholine (ChAT+ T cells) in the spleen are essential mediators of the anti-inflammatory effect of vagus nerve stimulation. Besides the spleen, ChAT+ T cells are found abundantly in Peyer’s patches of the small intestine. However, the role of ChAT+ T cells in colitis pathogenesis is unknown. Here, we made use of CD4creChATfl/fl mice (CD4ChAT−/− mice) lacking ChAT expression specifically in CD4+ T cells. Littermates (ChATfl/fl mice) served as controls. In acute dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis (7 days of 2% DSS in drinking water), CD4ChAT−/− mice showed attenuated colitis and lower intestinal inflammatory cytokine levels compared with ChATfl/fl mice. In contrast, in a resolution model of DSS-induced colitis (5 days of 2% DSS followed by 7 days without DSS), CD4ChAT−/− mice demonstrated a worsened colitis recovery and augmented colonic histological inflammation scores and inflammatory cytokine levels as compared with ChATfl/fl mice. In a transfer colitis model using CD4+CD45RBhigh T cells, T cells from CD4ChAT−/− mice induced a similar level of colitis compared with ChATfl/fl T cells. Together, our results indicate that ChAT+ T cells aggravate the acute innate immune response upon mucosal barrier disruption in an acute DSS-induced colitis model, whereas they are supporting the later resolution process of this innate immune-driven colitis. Surprisingly, ChAT expression in T cells seems redundant in the context of T cell-driven colitis. NEW & NOTEWORTHY By using different mouse models of experimental colitis, we provide evidence that in dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis, ChAT+ T cells capable of producing acetylcholine worsen the acute immune response, whereas they support the later healing phase of this innate immune-driven colitis.


1994 ◽  
Vol 180 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Bárcena ◽  
A H Galy ◽  
J Punnonen ◽  
M O Muench ◽  
D Schols ◽  
...  

In this article, we report that the human fetal thymus contains CD34bright cells (< 0.01% of total thymocytes) with a phenotype that resembles that of multipotent hematopoietic progenitors in the fetal bone marrow. CD34bright thymocytes were CD33-/dull and were negative for CD38, CD2, and CD5 as well as for the lineage markers CD3, CD4, and CD8 (T cells), CD19 and CD20 (B cells), CD56 (NK cells), glycophorin (erythrocytes), and CD14 (monocytes). In addition, total CD34+ lineage negative (lin-) thymocytes contained a low number of primitive myeloid progenitor cells, thus suggesting that the different hematopoietic lineages present in the thymus may be derived from primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells seeding the thymus. To investigate whether the thymus is permissive for the development of non-T cells, human fetal organ culture (FTOC) assays were performed by microinjecting sorted CD34+lin- fetal liver cells into fragments of HLA-mismatched fetal thymus. Sequential phenotypic analysis of the FTOC-derived progeny of CD34+lin- cells indicated that the differentiation into T cells was preceded by a wave of myeloid differentiation into CD14+CD11b+CD4dull cells. Donor-derived B cells (CD19+CD20+) were also generated, which produced immunoglobulins (IgG and IgM) when cultured under appropriate conditions, as well as functional CD56+CD3- NK cells, which efficiently killed K562 target cells in cytotoxicity assays. These results demonstrate that the microinjection of fetal liver hematopoietic progenitors into fetal thymic organ fragments results in multilineage differentiation in vitro.


2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (suppl_6) ◽  
pp. vi115-vi116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah R Klein ◽  
Maria Carmela Speranza ◽  
Prafulla C Gokhale ◽  
Margaret K Wilkens ◽  
Kristen L Jones ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (6) ◽  
pp. 345-352
Author(s):  
Evgeniy Vladimirovich Pochtar ◽  
S. A. Lugovskaya ◽  
E. V. Naumova ◽  
E. A. Dmitrieva ◽  
A. I. Kostin ◽  
...  

Profound immunological dysfunction is the key factor determining the development of infectious complications in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The aim of this work is to assess the features of the subpopulation composition of T-lymphocytes (T-helpers (Th), cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (Tcyt), T regulatory cells (Treg), T-NK cells, naive Th, Th-memory, activated T-lymphocytes, TCRγδ cells) and NK cells in peripheral blood of patients with newly diagnosed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and receiving ibrutinib therapy. Hematological and immunophenotypic studies have been performed in 30 patients with previously untreated CLL, 122 patients on ibrutinib therapy and 20 healthy donors. The subpopulation composition of T-lymphocytes (Th, Tcyt, Treg, T-NK, naive T-helpers, memory T-helpers, TCRγδ cells, activated T-lymphocytes) and NK cells has been assessed on flow cytometer (FACSCanto II (BD)) using the following panel of monoclonal antibodies: CD45, CD19, CD3, CD4, CD5, CD8, TCRγδ, CD127, CD16, CD56, CD57 CD45RA, CD45R0, HLA-DR, CD25. Compared to controls all CLL samples were found to have higher the absolute number of T-lymphocytes, NK cells and their subpopulations, T-helpers (especially of memory T-cells), cytotoxic T-cells, regulatory T-cells, TCRγδ T-cells, activated T-lymphocytes, increased cytotoxic potential of NK cells in previously untreated CLL patients. Patients who received ibrutinib therapy have registered a positive trend towards recovery of the subpopulation composition of T-lymphocytes and NK-cells. CLL patients have been found to have quantitative and functional changes in the subpopulations of T-lymphocytes and NK cells, indicating dysregulation of the immune response, and a high risk of developing infections. Monitoring of immunological parameters for ibrutinib therapy make possible to estimate impact of ibrutinib on the adaptive anti-CLL immune response.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoxia Guo ◽  
Fang Du ◽  
Qin Liu ◽  
Yan Guo ◽  
Qingbing Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background This study intends to investigate the immunological effects of tumor ablation with irreversible electroporation (IRE). Methods We evaluated the systemic immune response in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after IRE treatment. Furthermore, we analyzed the tumor infiltrating T lymphocytes and the level of serum cytokines in IRE and control groups of tumor-bearing mice. Results We observed that IRE induced an increase in WBC, neutrophil and monocyte counts and a decrease in lymphocyte count 1 day post-IRE and returned to baseline values within 7 days in the patients. Meanwhile, circulating CD4+ T cell subsets, but not CD8+, decreased 1 day post-IRE. The activated T cells and natural killer (NK) cells increased, and regulatory T (Treg) cells decreased. Furthermore, a significant increase in cytotoxic CD8+ T cells infiltration was observed on ablative tumors in mice. The level of serum IFN-γ also significantly increased in the IRE group. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that IRE not only induced immediate innate immune response dominated by the increase of neutrophils, monocytes and NK cells, but also upregulated activated T cells and downregulated Treg. Meanwhile, the results from the animal model indicated that IRE could induce antitumor adaptive immunity dominated by cytotoxic CD8+ T cells.


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